You’ve heard the saying: There are two sides to every story. I grew up believing that, but I recently discovered that old adage doesn’t present the whole truth. The reality is ... there are three sides to every story: my side, the other person's side and God's side (the truth). I have sat through countless [...]
The American holiday of Thanksgiving is a perfect time for us to pause and give thanks to our God who has blessed us with so much. The scriptures tell us, “…in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1Thess 5:18). So many people struggle to find the will of God, but in reality, it all begins with giving thanks. A few years ago I made my first trip to Rwanda, a nation that had experienced genocide when 800,000 people were killed within three months
Jesus told us in Matthew 28:19 to “Go and make disciples.” When each of us get serious about making disciples as Jesus commanded, one person at a time, and training them so they make more disciples, God’s Kingdom will grow exponentially. Yet many times we have failed to obey this Great Commission from our Lord [...]
LaVerne and I started our journey home on Sunday. We flew from Oregon to California on Sunday night and got stuck in San Francisco for the past few days. Hurricane Sandy caused the airports on the East Coast to close down. We are experiencing a detour. We hope to fly out tonight. We had not [...]
This past week LaVerne and I spent four days away celebrating our forty-first wedding anniversary. We are so grateful to the Lord for His grace on our marriage relationship. It has been quite a journey. Although we have both come to the conclusion that at this point in our lives, we not only love each other, but we actually like each other—it wasn’t always like that.
Just because we fail, this does not make us a failure. We are in a spiritual war, and the battlefield is in our minds. The devil knows that if he can get us to focus on failing, falling, fear, poverty, disease, and our negative circumstances, we will become defeated and depressed. For example, if we [...]
Almost every week I meet someone who is experiencing the pain of an unfulfilled dream. Two weeks ago I was privileged to minister in Europe, this past week in the Caribbean and this week in the USA. I experienced three different parts of the world within three weeks, but I saw amazing similarities. Three cultures, same Jesus. Three nations, same kingdom. Three churches, same heart to experience all that the Lord has for each of them. Yet in each nation
When I left our home this afternoon to travel to Barbados, I noticed pumpkins growing up next to our house. These pumpkins seemed to have come from nowhere! Then I remembered that a few months ago my wife LaVerne sowed a few pumpkin seeds. Today, pumpkins are everywhere! In the same way, God has called you and me to sow His Word. It works like this. Every time we pray in alignment with the truth of God’s Word and speak it to others, we sow dynamic spiritual seeds that will grow in people’s lives.
I confess…I’m a people watcher. I often notice the maturity and leadership potential of a person by simply watching them. A few weeks ago in Malaysia, I watched students from Nepal, Myanmar, Philippines, Indonesia and other Asian nations who were studying at the school where I was teaching. Many students believe they are called to [...]
Three weeks ago I sat on an airplane next to a man who told his story about growing up as a Muslim in Pakistan. While serving as a soldier in the Pakistan army, someone on the street told him about Jesus. The message of Jesus transformed his life, and today he travels the world telling [...]